encouraging sustainable, responsible cocoa growing

Entry: Tracey Duffey, World Cocoa Foundation and Josephine Ramos, Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines

A favorite part of my job with the World Cocoa Foundation is to spend time in the field meeting with cocoa farmers in their communities, learning from their experiences of farmer field school trainings, and visiting with our many partners that work together to help the farmers. This past week, I had an unforgettable visit to several cocoa producing sites of the Philippines. I spent the week with staff of the Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines (CocoaPhil - a member of WCF) who arranged my schedule of visits. We visited numerous sites of the SUCCESS Alliance Phase II project managed by ACDI/VOCA with CocoaPhil as an implementer.

I asked Josephine Ramos, the Field Operations Manager of CocoaPhil to share her impressions of our visits. Here is Josephine pictured at one of the fermentories we visited that will receive assistance from the SUCCESS Alliance project this year.

“It has always been a wish for an industry association like CocoaPhil to be linked and establish partnerships with development organizations and the global markets, not to mention, of finding ‘big brothers’ because the CocoaPhil alone cannot solely undertake such huge tasks of developing the industry.

This was realized with our membership to WCF starting in 2006, and as we took pride of the presence of the WCF President, Bill Guyton when we launched the Philippine Cocoa Industry Roadmap in October 2006, we refer this connection as a gateway to wider opportunities for information exchanges, new and practical farming and quality production technologies, market linkages, and leveraging of resources, among others that are essential in sustaining our efforts in building up the Philippine Cocoa industry.

The 8-day visit of Ms. Tracey Duffey, WCF Program Coordinator, that concluded on 26 November is particularly rewarding. I joined Tracey on this trip where each day was spent on meetings with cocoa farmers, seeing their farms and other production activities, and discussions on aspects that could help them improve and expand cacao production, with the end in view of better family conditions. The field visit activities, most especially with the WCF, and with Tracey communicating on the WCF’s outreach activities, comes as reassurance to our farmers that they too are linked with their counterparts in the global cacao industry, not only in terms of finding support, but also of recognizing their efforts and sharing them with the rest of the cacao farmers in the world.

On behalf of CocoaPhil, and especially the Filipino cacao farmers, we extend great appreciation of the support and attention of the WCF, and we are looking forward to continuing the outreach programs towards our common goal of improving conditions for cacao growing communities in the Philippines.” - Josephine Ramos, CocoaPhil

Edward David, President of CocoaPhil and Josephine Ramos and I spoke with members of several cocoa clubs who joined us for a meeting on Sunday to discuss their activities and progress. The cocoa club members asked very good questions about market linkages and quality improvement regarding their cacao.

Though you cannot join me in the cocoa farms in the Philippines, I hope this entry helps to provide you an idea of my visit. Tomorrow I will introduce you to one of the CocoaPhil Field Technicians.